Presolar grains from meteorites: Remnants from the early times of the solar system

Abstract

This review provides an introduction to presolar grains - preserved stardust from the interstellar molecular cloud from which our solar system formed - found in primitive meteorites. We describe the search for the presolar components, the currently known presolar mineral populations, and the chemical and isotopic characteristics of the grains and dust-forming stars to identify the grains' most probable stellar sources. Keywords: presolar grains, interstellar dust, asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, novae, supernovae, nucleosynthesis, isotopic ratios, meteorites